Pakistan rejects allegations that the killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. troops within its borders shows Pakistani incompetence or complicity in hiding the al Qaeda leader.
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani addressed Parliament.
SOUNDBITE: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, saying (English):
"It is disingenuous for anyone to blame Pakistan or state institution of Pakistan, including the ISI [Intelligence Service] or armed forces for being in cahoots with al Qaeda. It was al Qaeda and its affiliates that carried out suicide bombings in nearly every town and city of Pakistan,"
The fact that bin Laden was found hiding in the garrison town of Abbottabad some 30 miles from the capital, has led to accusations that Pakistani security agencies were either incompetent or sheltering the world's most wanted man.
Pakistani-U.S. relations are already fragile after a string of diplomatic disputes over issues including a U.S. drone attack in March and the release of Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor who killed two Pakistanis in the city of Lahore in January.
SOUNDBITE: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, saying (English):
"We have strong differences with the United States. The media spin masters have tended to portray a false divide between the state institutions of Pakistan. I would like to most emphatically reject the notion of divide
The United States has stopped short of accusing Pakistan of providing shelter to bin Laden.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.